Utah Safety Terrell Burgess Ready To Capitalize On Being A Starter

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah football program has a lot of talent on their roster, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Guys like Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu, Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson are getting most of the attention on defense.

But a player, who should have a major impact to Utah’s success on their physical defense is senior strong safety Terrell Burgess.

On the Crimson Corner podcast, they are profiling a player who is under the radar but should have a positive impact on the season.

Burgess and Blackmon are tasked with picking up where Marquise Blair and Corrion Ballard left off from last season at safety. That’s their mindset during fall camp.

“We are making sure that we stay on top of everything we can, helping the young guys,” Burgess said. “Julian (Blackmon) and I want to pick up exactly where Corrion (Ballard) and Marquise (Blair) left off. They were two great players who are both doing great with the Seahawks and Panthers. We try as much as we can to be leaders on the defense, play hard and play fast.”

The goal that Burgess has made for himself this season is a simple one, but one that will win the locker room.

“We always have to put our goals down before each game and the main one that I put down was be a great teammate,” Burgess stated. “I try to be a great teammate to everyone that I can, help the team win in any way that I can and maybe get a few picks this season.”

Blackmon chimed in and credited Burgess for making his transition from cornerback to safety a smooth one.

“I like it,” Blackmon added. “It’s fun, just hanging out with Terrell and learning from him really. He is a really smart guy and taking advantage of people like Terrell is really fun to do because there is not always guys who know every single position and he does so, it’s just nice to be able to pick at him and see what he is looking at.”

Both safeties are seniors this season and joined the program at the same time. They have built a strong friendship throughout their time with the Utes. But, they have built a stronger bond during this off-season.

“We came in together so, we have hung out together in the off-season and every off-season, whether he was at corner and when I was at nickel, when he was playing safety and I was playing corner, so we have always hung out,” Burgess said. “We have hung out more this off-season to make sure that we are both in line and we have the same bond and we are on the same page.”

Burgess has made his impact at Utah when he has had to fill in for injured starters and he has taken advantage of that. Now, he is the clear-cut favorite to start at strong safety.

“It feels great,” Burgess said. “It feels nice to be honored like that but, the season hasn’t started yet. I still need to be on my p’s and q’s and make sure that I am practicing like I am number two still. I am going to make sure that I start at the first game of the season.”

It’s a unique training camp for the Utes. They have prepared for many teams that have a lot of excitement for the season but none bigger than BYU.

“Honestly, we know that they are a great team,” Burgess mentioned. “Last season, we were down 20-0 at halftime. Nobody wants to be down 20-0 at halftime, that’s not something that anybody goes into a game expecting. We know they are a great team so, we have been watching film on them and we are going to make sure that we are ready for the first game to come out and play hard and play fast.”

Burgess is playing on a defense that could go down as one of the best in program history. A lot of hype is surrounding the defense and Blackmon is buying it.

“I feel like everyone flies around, we run to the ball, that’s one of the biggest things if you watch us on film,” Burgess stated. “Obviously, offense makes plays but it’s the turnovers that we make that aren’t expected. We will make a lot of turnovers on this defense from running to the ball. I think the defense is playing very well, I think we are going to have a great season.”

He wants to add to his knowledge of the defense as something that he wants to accomplish during fall camp.

“I wouldn’t say that I know everything, I try to know as much as I can,” Burgess said. “I want to everything to a T.”